Mila's Pov
...........
9 years ago....
"Ah, Missus Violet, you are here to pick up Mi-" I watch my mother as she puts a finger to the lady's lips. "Rewind. I'm Ms. Violet."
The lady glances down at the clipboard and then back up. "But uhm, your marital status is-"
"-My marital status shouldn't depict what you address me as. I'm Ms. Violet. Try again." The lady takes a deep breath, practically shaking at this point, terrified of the fiery redhead in all black clothing, my wonderful mother...
"Ms Violet, you must be here to pick up Emilia..." The lady says while plastering on a big, fake smile.
"Yes. Get her." The lady stands deathly still, clearly uncomfortable. "What's your name?" My mother asks.
"Leah..."
"Pretty. Listen, Leila? Did you say? If you don't go get my daughter, I will barge in there myself. And I'm sure that manager of yours wouldn't quite tolerate that, would they?"
The lady shakes her head, skeptically eyeing my mother and scurrying into the little room I was in, ushering me out. "Emilia, your mom is here."
The lady hands me my backpack and my mother yanks at my hand, scowling at the lady. "Emilia, next time, don't make me go through that ratty little lady. You come straight out to mommy." I nod in understanding as she places me into the backseat of my dads car.
"Mommy has to make a phone call, okay? So just... block your ears." I never liked speaking, felt like too much effort even since a young age. Plus, I loved the silence.
I don't fully block my ears, I'd be naive if I did. Plus, I'm not stupid. My parents were in the mafia, no matter how much they tried to shield me from it. Hushed phone calls, security with us everywhere, blacked out windows and private school since I was little is a tiny bit of a giveaway.
Although they thought they were in the clear. That their nine year old daughter didn't know a thing, oh how wrong they were. I listened as she dialed a number in the front seat, turning down the volume just a little.
"This is Valentina Violet, can I please have Nathaniel?" The line went dead for a couple seconds, then my father picked up.
"Nathaniel. I've picked up Emilia..." I hear a sigh on the other end. "I've just got off the phone with Gabriel, he says that when they are both, officially 19 we can marry them. It'll make both the mafias stronger..."
My mother seems less than pleased, rubbing a hand over her forehead. "She deserves to find real love, Nathaniel."
"Just because we got the chance to, doesn't mean she'll have the same option. Carter is the most eligible man for her. He's strong, plays many sports, a genius and they are friends. It makes sense. Please just trust me with this Tina." I loved my parents, dearly.
Nathaniel Abbot and Valentina Violet. My loving father, let my mother keep her own name, defying the laws of the mafia. He later rewrote said law, making it legal for me to have a regular life, without being linked back to the American frickin Mafia. They had that kind of love, the love that supposedly, I won't ever have according to my dad.
"But... She's only nine, she will never love Gabriel Crawfords son if we force her into it."
Gabriel Crawfords son? Carter Crawford.
Carter Crawford? My childhood friend?
My childhood friend...? My future husband.
This wasn't necessarily news to me, like I said, I've listened in on these conversations before. But they have never officially told me or Carter.
"We can tell them later, Emilia will take it a like a champ. I promise Angel." My mother sighs once again. "You're probably right, Emilia will handle it gracefully, I'm sure of it."
..............
Later
"I AM NOT MARRYING HIM." I drop my mothers hand, glancing over at Carter. "What? So you are going to sit there and let them do this to us?" He just shrugs, not really caring what happens.
But I knew, I knew that I would make it my life's mission to stay far, far away from Carter Crawford. I will never love him, I will never marry him.
If it's the last thing I do on this earth.
"Emilia, darling this has to happen. I truly am sorry." My mother says sympathetically. "It will be beneficial for-" Before my mother can finish her sentence, I run upstairs. Bursting into my parents bedroom so I can hug my dad.
He will help me out of this, he would never make me do this. I glance around the room until walking into the closet, filled with my mothers clothes. I spot a little rope on the floor, trailing out from underneath my mothers red coat.
What? Where's my dad?
I slowly push back the coat, my fingers trembling just a little as a note falls from a hand. My fathers hand. I reach up to grab his hand, ask him what the hell he is doing behind all these clothes. Until I squeeze once.
It's cold.
..............
9 Years later
Powered by Elites Boarding School
"From the top! And one and two and thr- VIVIAN! Leg up, please." I shout out orders at them, this had to be perfect for the ice hockey game next Monday.
We had only started this cheerleading thing last week, right before school began. And since we all lived on campus, there was never a free moment that we couldn't have spent practicing.
"Monica? Raise your hand higher please. And... drop." Monica did a graceful flip and landed in front of the pyramid, being held by our two B's.
Bianca and Blair. Blair is Carters little sister. We called them the two B's for obvious reasons, their names both began with B's and they were our base. The main people who caught the flyers.
Which was always either me or Monica. Whenever I felt like flying, I would. And who could stop me? Not one of them. Since I'm the captain and what I say, goes.
"Okay, let's call it a day. Get to class and we have rehearsals after literature." I pointed in between them and they groaned.
Monica walked over to me, taking a big sip of her water. I smile as she swings an arm around my shoulder.
Monica has been my friend for one whole week, I don't necessarily trust her just yet. But for now, she's the only real friend I have. Every one else thinks I'm a bitchy blonde cheerleader. Which I guess.. they aren't totally incorrect. "I'll see you at the end of the day?" I nod and she walks off towards the library.
We had similar interests, classes and of course cheerleading, except one thing. She hated history, would rather associate with any other subject, but me? Totally different, Being one hundred percent honest.
I have and always will be a slut for history.
I run into the bathrooms and quickly change into my uniform, getting back out into the halls for the Head Bitch Beatrice. Everyone hated her, she took peoples phone each morning and wouldn't take no for an answer.
I could be bleeding out, guts on the walls and a spleen shoved in a locker, yet Bitchy Beatrice would not even take a second glance.
"PHONES. NOW. Make sure they are on silent, you know the consequences if not." Ah, the consequences that they hung over our heads. They call home, give us a docket and send us on our merry way.
I'd only been in this boarding school one week, and it has been definitely... informative. You can tell why it's private, some celebrities kids and many, many daddy's money kids. Not that I wasn't the exact same.
Yet I was more of a... daughter of the boss of the New York Mafia, soon to be married to the son of the Boss of the Italian Mafia, in one year. It's only complicated if you make it complicated...
"Mila... the burner ones too." She mutters as I scowl at her, pulling out my two spare burner phones. Bitchy bitchy Beatrice.
She waved her hand, allowing us off to our classes as the bell rings. Yet as soon as I think I'm near the class, enter, Carter Crawford.
He's annoyingly tall, stupid dark hair, ugly hazel eyes, stupid stupid jawline and that's only talking about his looks. Don't even get me started on this walking talking idiots personality.
Irritatingly smart, always wants to beat me at everything, captain of his stupid ice hockey team, makes fun of me relentlessly, all of that and he's still the quietest person I know.
Well that's a lie, he's relatively loud when around me, then with others he appears to be mute, still likes partying though. Gabriel Crawford, his dad, would shoot him if he dared to fall off the rails like most of the other reckless people at this school.
In fact, he would shoot me if he had the option. The man hated me for whatever reason. One day he will have to like me. Since what's his, will be my future husbands, thankfully, that won't be for a while.
"Leave me alone Crawford." I grit out, shutting my locker. "Listen Blondie, Id rather shove my head in some dirt then marry you either. But you are my fiancé" He waggles his ring finger in my face as I push it away.
"Emilia, call me Emilia." I mutter sternly back at him. "Truly, there is many many people I'd rather marry." If I had one wish, kill Carter Crawford. Let bitchy Beatrice take care of it, she'll let him rot.
"Well at least I've grown up. You still have the mentality of a nine year old boy." I say back and he scoffs, following me into history.
"Oh c'mon Mila, give me some credit, it's at least like an eight year olds mentality, seven if we're pushing it." I mentally scream and sit down at the back, watching him high five some of his friends before sitting in beside me.
"Blondie, You are so uptight." He says while turning to look at me. "You're irritating." I fire back.
"Well you, are impossible." I'm very low maintenance, it's why I have loads and loads of many friends... not.
"Well you... you are insufferable." Which is extremely true, by the way, unfortunately, half the girls at this school don't feel the same way about him and his group of friends.
Harrison Hughes, Robert Dorrance, and Bentley Davis.
I may be popular, but that doesn't equal friends. It's more like a followers type of situation. No one I can truly trust, just people that happen to like me.
"You are the most-" I'm about to spew more insults to his infuriating face before Ms Hart bangs her book on the table.
"Mr Crawford and Ms Violet, do we have a problem?" I glance at Carter and he smirks, knowing that he just won our battle. "Fine." I mutter to the teacher and he winks.
"Can everyone please open up their copybooks" Ms. Hart says while writing on the blackboard. I bite my nails while Carter groans beside me. "Yes... Sorry everybody, but it is a part of the syllabus, so we do have to do this."
Feeling him look at me out of the corner of my eye, I cover the side of my face with my hand, blocking out his stupid hazel eyes.
"I have your pop quiz results from last class. I'll be discussing each one individually with you all." Ms Hart walks down to the back of the room where Carter and I are sitting. "Carter, Unfortunately, you got 36%. You are a smart student from what I've seen, excelling in every other subject. I truly see so much potential." His eyes almost shut before I nudge him in the arm.
"Thank you Emilia. Now, speaking of. You could help him out. You got 98% Ms Violet, and I am not forcing you to tutor him. But I would highly recommend it to sort out your rivalry, competitive issues."
I look at Carter, he looks at me and we both glare. Engaging in a battle of who will crack first. "I shall let you discuss it after class."
I nod, not looking away from Carter. "What do you say Mila? Maybe you'll finally have a reason to be so high up on that horse of yours?" Of course he wants to be tutored by me, of all people. Lovely.
Just as I was about to win our staring contest, Harrison Hughes, one of Carters friends comes up to our table. "How about you tutor me too Em?"
I'm so close to breaking before Carter gives him a look. "She's off limits, sorry buddy." Asshole
———————
"Cant you just focus Crawford?" I ask as the waiter walks away from our table after delivering the coloring menu. "But look at this poor chicken in a farm, all by his lonesome. He needs some color." I sigh while continuing to type up his studies on my laptop.
"Okay, I'm done. What do you think?" He holds up his little picture, the chicken colored in all sorts of shades. "Looks great. Now can we focus?"
I watch him begrudgingly take out his books. Dramatically placing each one down on the table with a bang. "We have our first appearance together next weekend." I say quietly as he places down the last one, louder than the others.
"Oh yeah?" I nod as he raises an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"My moms wedding..." His eyes widen slightly and I know exactly why. No one expected my mother to remarry. Myself and my mother were distraught after my father died.
Whoever was after him at the time, made it look like a suicide. But my mother is smarter than that, she knew he wouldn't ever leave us like that. Yet as much we wanted to believe that, there was the letter that apparently he 'wrote.'
Neither of us could ever bare to read it, so it resides in the basement, tucked away in a box somewhere. Maybe someday I'll read it, but that's not anytime soon.
"I didn't even know she was involved with anyone. I mean... Valentina Violet, she doesn't necessarily need a husband to do what she does." He's totally correct, my mother didn't need a man, in the slightest.
She's the strongest person I know, can take out anyone with the click of her fingers. Has the entire New York Mafia bow down to her with the stomp of a foot. Practically worships the ground she walks on.
Completely deserved, she's a god compared to most men in the business. After my dad died, something broke in my mother. Something changed for her that would never have the capability to be reversed.
She had taught me almost everything she knows, just incase one day I have to take over for her. I shiver at the thought of being in her position. Killing people everyday, sure they may be bad people, but that's still a gun in my hand.
Which leads to why she is getting remarried. "Yeah, your father arranged it I believe. Told her she needed someone concrete and stable to assist her."
He shifts uncomfortably in his seat opposite me. "Well... that's Gabriel Crawford for you. Stone cold asshole." I laugh out of pure irony.
"Now I know where you get it from." He gives me a sarcastic smile back, knocking my knee with his. "So the wedding... Yeah. We have to y'know, be a couple and all that." He nods in understanding.
As we continue to sit in lingering silence, the door behind us dings open and Carters friends pile in. "Crawford! You're... studying?" They pat him on the back, shoving me in to the middle of the booth beside him.
"Got Em to help you? Shit you must really suck balls at history." I resist the urge to laugh when Carter glares at Bentley.
"So Em, how do you know our Carter over here?" Carter tries to save me from the awkward question before Harrison shoves a finger to his lips, immediately shushing him.
"Childhood friends..." They nod before Robert narrows his eyes. "Aren't you two like mortal enemies or some shit?"
Carter stays quiet as they look confused, clearly letting me answer for him. See this is what I was saying earlier, he's loud and chill with me and then moody and grumpy with others.
"Mortal enemies is probably a stretch... we are more like-" I begin to answer.
"Rivals?" Robert asks and I glance at Carter. We both nod in unison, confirming his question.
Authors Note
Trying hard to make sure this sounds unique and not like 'Between Us' lmao but the plots r kinda similar. Oops, I'm a sucker for fake dating so I hope you are too.
Vote by tapping the screen and clicking the star in the bottom left corner losers.
I also have no idea what I want to do yet, so bare with me as I mess with the plot :)
Lots of Love Babies, mommy ella <3
Words - 2867
Date - 05/03/22
Reads - 1.37k